Young Gull Lake goalie collecting dollars for saves on behalf of friend with autism

It's enough pressure to be playing between the pipes for your Atom team's playoff game at home.

But nine-year-old Gull Lake, Sask., goaltender Berney Weston is taking that one step further, using his playoff appearance to raise money for a foundation that helps his friend, Chayce Foster, who has autism.

"His idea was to do a lemonade stand, but we figured it's March and we live on a farm, so that might be difficult. After a discussion, he came up with this idea," Weston's mother told CBC Radio's Morning Edition.

She posted the plan online shortly afterward, and the pledges started pouring in. By Monday morning, supporters had pledged to donate a total of $130 per save. Berney makes 20-30 saves per game, on average.

Berney Weston said he wanted to do the fundraiser to make things easier for his friend Chayce.

"He is very nice and he always smiles. He likes sports but he has trouble playing them," he said. "[He's] a really good friend."

'Chayce thinks the world of Berney'

Chayce's mother, Rachelle Foster, is "very excited" about the fundraiser.

She suggested the funds go toward a Regina-based charity Chayce has benefited from, the Casey Foundation. It gives out over $100,000 per year to assist children in Saskatchewan with autism.

"Chayce thinks the world of Berney and it's absolutely wonderful," she said.

Chayce will be at the game in Gull Lake on Monday night, watching his friend play goal and raise money.

The Casey Foundation's founders added that one of their usual springtime fundraisers isn't going ahead, so they were happy to see the effort from the young hockey player.